Fools Rush In
by Thoughts Left Unspoken
Summary: Needing help when it comes to courting the person you fancy isn't unusual. What is unusual is getting such help from the person you're seeking to romance. Unfortunately for Fenris, he finds himself in the second scenario after he realizes he loves Hawke.
1. Chapter 1

**Fools Rush In: Chapter One  
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Disclaimer: Dragon Age and all assorted characters/places/etc belong to Bioware, not me.

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><p>Hawke was one of the loveliest women living in Kirkwall. Fenris would bet even a blind man could see that. Therefore it was only natural, he reasoned, that his eyes tended to linger on her figure whenever he walked behind her.<p>

Their other companions did not share the same sentiment.

"You know what absolutely amazes me?" Isabela asked conversationally.

Fenris grunted, not really in the mood to listen to the nonsense the pirate liked to sprout, but also not having the energy to stop her. Though it was not meant as encouragement, the incorrigible wench took it as such.

"I find it amazing that you have managed to stay upright throughout this whole trip," Isabela went on. "Sundermount tends to be rocky going, but yet you haven't stumbled at all despite the fact that I haven't seen you take a single glance at the path."

The elf was not about to admit anything. Isabela liked to tease him enough, and there was no way he was going to hand her more ammunition. "Oh? I have been staring ahead this whole time."

"You've been staring ahead all right, but at the…scenery rather than where you're walking."

"Considering that you've been staring at the same scenery, I don't see how you have cause to complain."

"Oh, I'm not complaining. Hawke's ass is the nicest I've ever seen, and trust me, I've seen a lot. Still at least I'm not completely focused on our fearless leader. I spotted and disarmed two traps. What have you done?"

Fenris grimaced. Luck was with them today, and they hadn't run into any roving bands of slavers or bandits. There wasn't much need for his particular talents outside of battle. It made for a peaceful outing, but alas it wasn't one that he contributed much to. It wasn't his fault, but he doubted that he would be able to convince the pirate of that.

Alas Isabela even had to remark on his silence. "Thinking of what to say in your defense? Don't bother. You might think that you're being discreet, but you have a lot to learn. You ought to consider taking Varric up on his offer of lessons."

"I'll do that as soon as you take up lessons on when to keep your mouth shut," he shot back.

"Someone's feeling cranky. If you need a bit of privacy to take care of a personal issue, just let me know. I'll arrange for a distraction, never you fear."

"Argh!" Fenris had had enough of the pirate and her innuendos for one day. He quickened his pace, catching up to Hawke. He would have to forgo the view to walk by her, but it wasn't as though he would be able to enjoy it with Isabela in the mood she was in. Hawke raised an eyebrow when he appeared by her side but made no remark, allowing him to stew in silence as they headed back to Kirkwall.

Hawke finally spoke up when it came time to go their separate ways. "Are you feeling all right, Fenris?" she asked, her face drawn with worry. "You seemed a bit off today." She cocked her head to one side and looked at him carefully. "If you're getting sick, you should let me know so I can do something about it."

"I don't need your magic," he said sharply. "I am perfectly fine."

"I wouldn't use magic on you, Fenris, not so carelessly," Hawke replied quickly. "I know better than that. There are other ways to heal wounds, and so I would leave magic as a last resort." She bit her lip, her eyes downcast. It was as though she had been hurt at how Fenris had instinctively turned down her offer of help. A sudden wave of guilt washed over the elf. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but he didn't want any more magic being used upon him than absolutely necessary.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."

Hawke shook her head. "No apologies are necessary. It's a sensitive topic for you, I know. I hope you know that you can trust me about that." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I also hope you know you can always turn to me for help, no matter what might be troubling you."

"Thank you," he said. "But it is nothing. Just Isabela being Isabela, that's all." Thankfully Hawke let it go at that and didn't question him further.

Fenris was convinced that what he had told her was true. The fact that he could hardly bear to tear his eyes from her meant nothing. He was attracted to Hawke; that was a given because of her beauty. It was mere physical attraction though, and he wasn't obsessed with her, no matter what certain rogues might think.

Besides he was hardly the only one who admired her figure. Isabela was often shameless in her ogling of the mage. Sebastian too also watched the sway of her hips as she led them through Kirkwall and its environs, and more than once, Fenris heard him mutter about needing to go pray. The abomination was the most annoying of them all though with the way he tended to monopolize Hawke's conversation when she brought him along. It didn't escape Fenris' notice that Hawke often seemed annoyed by the way the abomination trailed after her, and she hardly paid the other mage the attention he so blatantly sought.

So Fenris' attraction to Hawke was nothing really. It didn't mean anything that his dreams were invaded by her. The fact that his heart started beating faster whenever she favored him with a smile was of no consequence. That was what Fenris told himself, but he couldn't quite ignore a small voice telling him otherwise.

Varric could be annoying like that.

"You know elf," said the dwarf , "if you keep on like this, one day you're likely to spontaneously combust."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the elf replied, continuing to glare daggers at the abomination all the while.

"Sometimes I wonder why I even try," Varric mumbled half to himself. "You know, I know for a fact that if you go and take Blondie's place by Hawke's side that she'll be eternally grateful to you. She might even show you just how grateful if you—"

"If she didn't want to be bothered by the abomination, then she didn't need to invite him along," Fenris bit out. "We're perfectly capable of taking out whatever comes our way without him."

"Yes, but Hawke's primary concern is getting us all back to Kirkwall in one piece."

"And how does the abomination help with that? Dwarves are remarkably resistant to spells while I care not to be touched by his spells," was Fenris' sharp reply.

"That's true, I'll give you that. Hawke is probably concerned that we may still be suffering from the aftereffects of that nasty Qunari poison. You have to admit Hawke is cautious about our party's health…especially when it comes to you."

Fenris stiffened. He knew what Varric was trying to imply. "As you said, Hawke is concerned about all of us even when such concern is not warranted."

"It's like talking to a rock. Actually scratch that. It's worse. Rocks sometimes get a hint. You, my friend, are remarkably hard-headed. If I didn't like both you and Hawke so much, I'd wash my hands of you now." Varric sighed dramatically. "As it is, I guess I'll have to wait until you figure it out before you'll listen to my advice. Just don't take too long, elf. Like I said, the way you're going, spontaneous combustion is imminent."

Fenris rolled his eyes but otherwise didn't bother to respond to the dwarf's ramblings. He didn't know why both Varric and Isabela continued to insist that he felt more for Hawke than he actually did. Perhaps they had some sort of twisted bet going on between the two of them which involved making him play the fool for their fearless leader. Not that he thought that they would really do that, as neither of them were the malicious sort.

Still it was unnatural how the pair had seemed to join forces when it came to teasing him about Hawke. Once an idea got stuck in their heads, it was hard to get it out, and so Fenris doubted he would be able to convince them that they were wrong. He would just have to wait things out.

A sudden roar rang out from in front of them, startling Fenris from his musings. Instinctively he reached for his sword even as his gaze shot forward to assess the situation. Hawke had stumbled across just what had taken out an entire patrol of Qunari—an abomination and not the annoying, manifesto-writing sort. No, this abomination was the raging, vicious type that inhabited Fenris' nightmares and it was headed straight towards Hawke. Caught out of position, Fenris rushed forward, hoping to meet the creature's charge. He arrived too late though. Hawke bore the brunt of its initial assault, wielding her staff as she sought to fend the creature's strikes off.

Fenris didn't remember much of what happened after that. The blighted creature died of course—the elf himself was the one to lop off its head—but he didn't keep track of the flow of battle the way he usually did, not when his heart was hammering in his chest. He couldn't bear to live if Hawke were to die, and he couldn't believe that he had been caught off guard so badly. Fortunately though Hawke was wounded, it was nothing that Anders couldn't heal.

However the damage had been done. Fenris could no longer pretend that what his feelings for Hawke meant nothing. No, if he was being completely honest with himself then what he felt for Hawke was everything.

Unfortunately once he realized the depth of his feelings for Hawke, it was impossible to put such realization back in the box. In fact, it was impossible for him to stop thinking of Hawke period. He longed for her—for her approval, for her smile, for her touch—like he had never longed for anything ever before. The mage was constantly on his mind, and it was maddening how much he wanted her.

Of course the elf knew that his was a hopeless case. There was no way that Hawke returned his feelings. She cared for him, that much was certain, but then again she cared for all of her companions. There were times that he even dared hope that the mage was fond of him. But clearly she was out of his league. An elven man with a lovely human woman would always raise eyebrows but they were more mismatched than that. Hawke wasn't merely lovely; she was beautiful enough to be considered one of the wonders of Kirkwall or so Isabela always claimed. Hawke was also a noble while he was a runaway slave who hid in his former master's stolen manor. The gap between them was so large as to practically be a chasm.

Hope was both his best friend and worst enemy in this instance. Whenever Hawke smiled at him or whenever she dropped by to share a drink with him, his heart would start pounding while thoughts of the mage being more than fond of him would start racing through his mind. There was even one time when he could have almost sworn that Hawke fancied him, the way she stayed by his side while they walked back from the Hanged Man one evening. Nothing ever came of it, and the usual distance that separated them reestablished itself the very next day. Fenris cursed himself as a fool for ever thinking that Hawke could possibly be interested in him.

The thought persisted and took root in his head. He could not sleep without seeing her in his dreams. Finally one especially poignant dream—one in which she was happy and smiling and carrying their child— convinced him to take action. If nothing else, failing to win her interest should at least spell an end to such dreams. He couldn't just declare himself to Hawke though. If he wanted the best chance at success—and he wanted that one dream to come true, damn it!—then he would need to court her, to show her that he could make her happy.

There was one major problem in doing that however. Fenris had to admit that his experience at courtship was rather limited. As a slave, he had known only what his duty required and that was to protect his master at all cost. When his master had wished for him to pleasure another, the elf had done so but never had he initiated a seduction much less a courtship. He had seen magisters court one another, but he knew better than to try any of those methods on Hawke. One of the things he admired most about Hawke was that if someone presented her with a gaggle of slaves ready to be sacrificed, her instinct would be to kill that fool rather than to thank them.

No, courtship rituals were very different here in Kirkwall. Alas there were no answers to be found at the bottom of a bottle. Fenris needed help and the outside sort. The only question was from whom. The people closest to him and so most likely to agree to assist him in wooing Hawke were Hawke's other companions. The blood mage and the abomination were both out as potential helpers and for obvious reasons. Even if the small Dalish elf wasn't a fool who thought that it was perfectly safe to consort with demons, she would still be a fool and unlikely to be the source of any good advice. Fenris did not think that the other elf would be malicious, but she was just as much a newcomer to this city as he was. The abomination would be an even worse choice. Not only was he an abomination, but the blond mage had made it as plain as day that he harbored feelings for Hawke. Fenris did not think that the abomination was ever the type to help a rival in love.

Varric and Isabela were the next two who came to mind. While they were each an obvious choice, Fenris discarded such notions almost immediately. For one, they would be insufferable. Both the dwarf and the pirate had seen him falling for Hawke first, and Fenris was in no mood to listen to endless 'I told you so's'. He could see in his mind's eye now how the two of them would tease him on and on. On the other hand, both Varric and Isabela had experience in courting women. However, Fenris wasn't quite sure if he would equate a crossbow with Hawke, despite the fact that Bianca was almost as deadly as the mage. As for Isabela, while she had chased many women in the past, the pirate had been after one thing and one thing only. That wouldn't satisfy Fenris; he wanted Hawke's heart as much as he wanted her body.

That last issue applied to Sebastian as well. The Chantry priest had not hid his past from any of them. Sebastian had been quite the rake when he was younger, and a successful one to boot. Still Fenris thought that Sebastian would be the best person to turn to for help. The archer was kind and understanding and experienced. Most important of all, he wouldn't tease Fenris for falling for their leader. While there was cause for concern regarding the archer's attraction to Hawke, Fenris knew that at the end of the day, Sebastian was committed to upholding his vows and so would never act on such attraction. That made him the best choice.

Or it would be if Sebastian was in Kirkwall. Unfortunately the archer was off on a whirlwind tour of the Free Marches, seeking to drum up support for his claim to the throne of Starkhaven. Fenris had been surprised to learn that the archer was still thinking of taking back his childhood home, but he supposed it was hard to let such things fall into the hands of murderers and fools. The elf didn't know how Sebastian thought he would be able to rule a city while still fulfilling his duties to the Kirkwall Chantry, but if anyone could manage such a difficult task, it was Sebastian.

However all that meant was that Sebastian wasn't around to assist Fenris, and that the elf was left with only one other person: Aveline. Fenris winced as he recalled how awkwardly the red-headed warrior had pursued Donnic. That episode had been truly painful at times to watch. Still at least she could understand how hard it was to try and romance someone. Also she might be more successful in giving Fenris good advice about how to go about wooing Hawke. Aveline was a woman, and so it stood to reason that she should know what women wanted in a man and what proper courtship methods entailed.

That being said, Fenris solemnly promised himself that he would ignore all and any advice Aveline gave about gifts of livestock.

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><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>Here's another one of my k!meme fills, with this prompt requesting a two-person love triangle between Hawke and Fenris. I found that I couldn't pass that one up even though I've another fic to finish. Anyway please review as I'd love to hear what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fools Rush In: Chapter Two  
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Disclaimer: Dragon Age and all assorted characters/places/etc belong to Bioware, not me.

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><p>Hawke stumbled as she entered the Hanged Man, shocked at the sight at the bar. Isabela wasn't in her usual spot. Unfortunately the mage knew that didn't bode well for most likely the pirate was out somewhere, stirring up trouble. While a small part of her felt sorry for whoever was Isabela's current target, mostly she felt sorry for herself. Hawke had known Isabela long enough to realize that at least half the time the pirate's plans backfired spectacularly, and whenever that happened, Hawke wound up being the person who would have to clean up that mess.<p>

The mage's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar, smooth baritone chuckling in amusement. "I knew he was desperate, but I didn't know he was losing his mind," said Varric as Hawke turned to face him. She couldn't quite stop a sigh of relief from escaping her lips when she saw that her favorite dwarf was speaking to Isabela. The mage silently thanked the Maker that Isabela wasn't out looking for trouble as she carefully maneuvered about the room so that she could speak to her two friends.

Though she wasn't trying to be sneaky, neither Varric nor Isabela gave any appearance of having seen her enter the room. This gave Hawke cause for concern. Whatever it was that they were talking about must be highly amusing because she had never been able to sneak up on them before. While she liked to think that she had some ability at being stealthy, she simply wasn't good enough to get the jump on her two roguish friends. Never being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Hawke shrugged her shoulders and continued on, this time taking a bit of care not to make too much noise.

"You didn't? Maker's balls! There goes a lost chance of making some money off of you. I knew that he was nearing his breaking point. Obviously I should've started a betting pool as to when," Isabela said as Hawke approached the rogues from behind.

"Rivaini, once you started that pool I would have known something was up," Varric pointed out.

"Ah! But would you have known how little time it would take for tall, dark, and brooding to do something crazy?"

"This crazy?" Varric raised an eyebrow. "You may have a point there, but I doubt you foresaw him going off the deep end either."

Isabela clucked her tongue. "Let's agree to disagree so we can get back to watching the show. It's a bit like watching the blind lead the blind."

"That's the understatement of the year," Varric answered. By now, Hawke was standing directly behind her friends but neither of them had noticed her. Her curiosity was truly piqued. She had to know just what could be so fascinating as to occupy her friends' complete attention. She followed their line of sight and then almost bit off her tongue.

Fenris was sitting down at a small table in one of the darker corners of the tavern. This in itself was nothing unusual. The elf liked to keep to himself and hide in shadows as though he was afraid of drawing attention to himself. What was unusual, however, was the fact that Aveline was sitting across from him.

The two warriors of Hawke's little group had not been getting along well these past few weeks, and tonight looked to be no exception. There was a tankard of ale in front of both of them, but the tankards looked to be equally untouched. To top things off, Fenris was wearing his usual scowl while Aveline had an aura of being put upon.

Hawke supposed it was inevitable that those two would eventually butt heads. Aveline had come under increasing pressure from the nobles inhabiting the Hightown Estates to do something about the dilapidated mansion in the district along with the ghostly elf who inhabited it. Unfortunately the red-headed warrior handled that issue with her usual tact although Hawke supposed her friend's efforts to get Fenris to move were doomed from the start. Her favorite elf was nothing if not stubborn.

For his part, Fenris didn't understand what the big deal was. He was well-aware that there were complaints coming in—although he was less kind when referring to them—but he didn't see why the city guard should trouble themselves with the ramblings of silly nobles when there were much bigger issues going on in the city. He thought that obviously the guard's first concern should be something less trivial, such as the spate of deaths amongst middle-aged women or the persistent rumors of slavers targeting the alienage. The elven warrior looked poorly upon Aveline's prodding him to move and had even go so far to remark once that it seemed as though she cared more about pleasing the rich than protecting the poor of the city.

That had been a close thing. Aveline had almost lost it then and there, and it had taken the best efforts of both Hawke and Varric to separate the two parties. That was why it was strange to see Fenris willingly sitting down to have a drink with Aveline and vice versa. The mage hoped that the two of them had decided to mend fences, but with her luck, it was more likely that Aveline was planning to take the elf to task again.

Her two roguish friends were likely to know more than her—as usual Hawke noted, mentally shrugging her shoulders—and so she turned her attention back to them so that she could find out what they knew. It wasn't eavesdropping, especially not by Isabela's definition. The pirate had once said that if someone was talking loud enough that she could overhear their conversation, then obviously she was meant to hear it and she wasn't being sneaky at all.

Of course, as Isabela had been eavesdropping on Hawke at this time, the mage hadn't been too impressed with that line of reasoning. However she wasn't about to pass up on the chance to use it against her friend, especially if it meant learning more about the situation at hand and in particular, how soon she might have to intervene to keep Fenris and Aveline from coming to blows.

"Desperate isn't quite the word for it, is it?" Isabela remarked to Varric.

"No," the dwarf agreed readily. "Desperate would be…well I would like to think it wouldn't be as stupid as this. It's too bad the elf has a healthy distaste for mages because otherwise I think I would insist on having his head examined."

"We might have to do that anyway," Isabela said merrily. "I think that asking Captain Man-hands for love advice is definitely a sign of questionable sanity."

Hawke almost choked at those words. She quickly glanced back at the table that the two warriors were at and made a passing attempt to read their lips. She couldn't make out what they were saying, and for a moment, she hoped against hope that Isabela was wrong. She couldn't believe that Fenris would be foolish enough to ask Aveline of all people for help with his love life. The elf had been on hand to see what a mess Aveline had made when she had been trying to court Donnic. Surely he would have known better than that.

Then it occurred to her that if Fenris was asking for courtship advice, then that must mean someone out there had caught his eye and maybe his heart. And obviously it wasn't her.

The mage clenched her hands at her side as she willed herself not to cry, not in public. She would shed her tears later within the privacy of her own home, her own room, her own bed. Hawke had known that she had never had a chance with the handsome elf. Fenris had made no bones of the fact that he despised and feared all mages. She was lucky that he had even given her the chance to prove to him that not all mages were the same as the magisters who ruled Tevinter. That faint hope that had kindled in her heart that maybe one day he could come to love a mage—to love her—well, it was a foolish notion, nothing less and nothing more.

Suddenly Hawke was reminded of how her father had always warned her and Bethany how their magic set them apart from the rest of the world. When she was younger, she had assumed he had been merely referring to the need to keep their magic secret from everyone else. As she had grown older, she had realized that her gift not only made her different from her neighbors, but it also was responsible for the gap between them. This distance was a necessity for a mage. A neighboring farmer would naturally smile at a pair of pretty girls coming to trade for eggs. That same farmer would shoo those two same girls away before running for the templars, however, if he ever found out that they were mages.

The same principle applied here. Not for the first time in her life, Hawke wished that she had been trained in the martial arts as well as the arcane ones. If she had masqueraded around as a simple warrior or a sneaky rogue, then maybe she would have had a chance with the elf. Fenris' suspicions about her had been raised as soon as he had found out about her magic, and Hawke supposed her relationship with the elf—if it could be termed as such—had never recovered from that fatal blow.

Hawke straightened herself up. Though it hurt, she could not let a chance like this pass her by. Here was a golden opportunity for her to help Fenris and show the elf once again that not all mages were bad. She would step in and intercede and help the elf woo his love. Though the thought of having to stand on the sidelines and watch as Fenris courted someone else stung, she couldn't just let the situation stand as it was now. Because that would mean letting Fenris continue asking Aveline for advice, and after watching the warrior screw up her own courtship so badly, Hawke was not about to let her friend mess up Fenris' as well. They were friends after all—or so she kept insisting to Fenris—and friends didn't let friends take advice on love from someone who was as criminally incompetent as Aveline about such things.

First things first however. It was time to remind her other two friends of that fact. "I have to admit that I find myself disappointed in the pair of you," Hawke said in a droll tone, amused at how the two rogues started at the sound of her voice. "I thought you were both passing fond of Fenris. I would have thought that one of you would have had the sense to volunteer and put Fenris out of his misery."

"Hawke! I didn't see you there," Varric said, shaken of his usual aplomb.

"I know. That's unusual, isn't it? Personally, I think that's because you were too busy having a laugh at our friends' expense." Hawke didn't bother trying to hide the disapproval she felt. Both Varric and Isabela winced at her tone.

"It's not like that, Hawke," the pirate said. She inched closer to Hawke, dipping forward slightly to afford the mage a good view of her breasts. Hawke had to hand it to Isabela; the pirate never did give up, no matter how many times Hawke had told her that she wasn't interested. "We just didn't see the point in stepping in too soon before we properly assessed whether or—"

Hawke's eyes narrowed as Isabela continued to dissemble. That small motion was all it took for Varric to intercede. "Save it, Rivaini. Hawke's not in the playful mood tonight," he told the pirate.

"No, I'm not," Hawke said pleasantly. "Now would you please enlighten me as to what exactly is going on here?"

Varric and Isabela exchanged a glance. "I'm not sure if the elf would appreciate us doing so," Varric put forth hesitantly.

"He'll get over it," was Hawke's short reply.

"I don't know about that. Fenris doesn't seem the type to appreciate people spying on his love life," Isabela said, agreeing with Varric.

"Yes…there are details out there that I'm positive the elf doesn't want everyone else to know," Varric added.

Hawke fought the urge to sigh. Of course, her friends were drawing this out while Fenris was still out there, trying to get love advice from Aveline. "I don't need specifics. I trust that you can paint with a broad enough brush for me to know the situation, Varric. If you can't, well then you're not much of a storyteller," she pointed out.

"There is that. Very well then…mind you this is heavily edited so as not to reveal all of Broody's secrets—"

"Which the two of you somehow tricked out of him but now have enough honor not to spill." Hawke rolled her eyes. She didn't see the point of Varric not telling her everything; after all, it wasn't as though she was likely to do anything to hurt Fenris. But then again, maybe the dwarf knew about how she fancied the elf and was concerned that she might become jealous of whoever had won Fenris' heart. While Hawke liked to think herself above such matters, she had to admit that she was only human and so maybe Varric was right to be concerned.

Meanwhile Varric had shrugged his shoulders at Hawke's accusations. "Even thieves have some honor," he said astutely.

"Hey! Whoever said I was a thief!" Isabela protested.

Hawke exchanged a glance with Varric. She gestured with one hand to show that the dwarf could respond. "You're a pirate. It kind of goes with the job description just as it does with merchants."

Isabela pouted but there wasn't much she could say to that. Varric returned to explaining the situation to Hawke. "The long and short of it is that the elf does have a heart after all and he's fallen rather hard for…well let's just say someone we know here in Kirkwall. The elf doesn't have much experience when it comes to courting someone, and so he decided to ask Aveline for help."

"Hence the reason why we think he's lost it," Isabela added helpfully.

Hawke hid a frown. She had figured out that much just listening in to Varric and Isabela's conversation earlier. She had no doubt that she knew whoever it was Fenris liked. Indeed that person might even be someone in their own little group, given how secretive Varric was being. Ultimately, however, that didn't change her decision. She was going to help her friend because that was what friends did. It didn't really matter if she would break her own heart in the process. She had dealt with heartbreak before, and she could do so again.

"Anything else I should know before I step in and put an end to this disaster?" she asked the other two.

This time it was Varric and Isabela who exchanged a glance. "No," Varric said, a little too quickly.

"Can't think of anything myself," Isabela agreed. Hawke was about to press the issue when the pirate said, "Although I hardly think there's any rush. It's going rather well…oh wait, I take that back. I think our dear captain has gone for her sword."

There would be time enough later for her to figure out what Varric and Isabela was keeping from her, Hawke decided. Right now, she had to save Fenris from his own apparent insanity. The mage strode on towards the table Fenris was sharing with Aveline, never noticing the matching evil grins that had appeared on Varric and Isabela's faces as she hurried on over.

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><p>Aveline hadn't known quite what to expect when Fenris had requested to speak with her at the Hanged Man that evening. While she liked the elf—he was one of the more upstanding people that Hawke hung around with—she couldn't say that she had been on the best of terms with him as of late. Fenris hadn't taken kindly to her attempts to get him to leave the mansion or at the very least clean it up. He also hadn't been very sympathetic as to how much grief she had been getting from his neighbors about what an eyesore the mansion had become.<p>

If anyone had told her a week ago that Fenris would come to her and ask for her help with his love life, she would have immediately sent them to Anders to have their head examined.

She rubbed at her eyes and summoned up another reserve of patience. "I don't suppose you mind repeating that," she asked. "I don't think I quite heard you right." She hoped that maybe there was a problem with her ears and what Fenris had really asked was for help removing the corpses from his mansion. Because if that was the case, then she would be more than willing to lend a hand. More importantly, that was something she actually _could _do.

Unfortunately the flush on Fenris' face didn't bode well for her. "I asked," the elf said, ducking his head shyly, "if you might be willing to…advise me, so to speak, in manners of the heart."

Aveline heaved a sigh. It was just her luck that her ears were working perfectly fine. She looked suspiciously at the elf, wondering for a moment if he was trying to pull a fast one over her. Fenris had been present during the disaster that had been her courtship of Donnic and so had witnessed how awkward she had been. The idea that he could see all that and still ask for her help…it seemed like a set up to up.

Of course, when she thought about it, it wasn't as though the elf had many other options. Anders would probably the most helpful about such things, if he and the elf weren't always at odd. Merrill was out for the same reason. Sebastian wasn't around, and as for the other rogues in their party, Aveline wouldn't trust them as far as she could throw them. Varric would open that blasted notebook of his and start taking notes while Isabela would offer herself up for Fenris to test his skills on.

That left Hawke. The mage had been most useful during Aveline's own courtship, but she supposed that Fenris wasn't willing to ask her because of the way he distrusted mages. Aveline had thought that Hawke had made inroads when it came to gaining Fenris' trust, but it was possible that she had read him wrong. After all, she had thought that her eminently reasonable request that he clean up his mansion would be received well but that had wound up almost blowing up in her face. If Hawke hadn't been there to intercede—

It hit Aveline there just how quick Fenris had been to back down once Hawke had arrived. The elf had been almost frothing mad, but Hawke had calmed him down with a single glance. He had ducked his head back then just as he was now as though he was shy or embarrassed. The guard captain put two and two together, and realized just why Fenris had approached her instead of the more logical choice of Hawke.

The person Fenris fancied was none other than their fearless leader.

Aveline's first thought was that Leandra wasn't going to like this development. While Aveline was fond of Hawke and her family, even she had to admit that Hawke's mother could be a bit of a snob. She just couldn't see Lady Amell—as Leandra liked to call herself these days—reacting well to an elf coming around to call upon her only remaining daughter. The guard captain thought that she should warn Fenris about that—perhaps it would be best for him to court Hawke away from Kirkwall—but before she could say a thing, Hawke made an appearance.

"How are my two favorite warriors doing this evening?" Hawke greeted them cheerfully. She pulled out a chair without even waiting for an invitation to join them.

Aveline was no stranger to how hard it could be to speak to your crush. A surge of pity rushed through her as she took in Fenris' expression, which clearly conveyed his feelings for the mage. "Your two favorite warriors? What about your brother?" she spoke up, taking Hawke's attention off of the elf.

The mage snorted. "My brother? As you said yourself, he's a bit of a tit. He's hardly written at all, and when he does, it's to go on and on about how the Grey Wardens are integral to the safety of Thedas and all. It gets rather bothersome after a while."

"He always did have a high opinion of himself. At least he is doing something worthwhile rather than just complaining about being in your shadow," Aveline pointed out.

"There is that," Hawke said. "Although if he was here, he would be good for at least one thing and that would be to take the brunt of Mother's matchmaking attempts."

Fenris coughed awkwardly at that admission from Hawke, causing both the women to glance over at him. Before Aveline could cover for him though, Hawke had already made her move.

"Speaking of romance, I've heard an interesting rumor about you, Fenris." The mage leaned forward, a lazy smile on her face that did not bode well.

Aveline discreetly looked at Fenris, wondering how much Hawke had overheard of their conversation. It couldn't have been much, and even then, she doubted that the mage knew about how Fenris felt about her. Despite the mage's scrutiny, however, Fenris showed no sign of being under duress. Aveline wished that she could have the elf's equanimity because right now she was worried that she had somehow managed to blow it for the elf despite the fact that she had only just realized that Fenris fancied Hawke.

"Rumor has it that our dear Fenris here has lost his heart," Hawke told Aveline in a conspiratorial tone.

The guard captain didn't know how best to respond to that, but fortunately Fenris hadn't lost his voice as well. "Rumor? Or a pair of nosy rogues?" he sniffed.

Hawke shrugged her shoulders. "Is there a difference?"

Fenris tilted his head to one side. "I suppose not. I think about half the rumors in Kirkwall are started by that particular pair of rogues."

"Only half? Please. I am certain that Varric is capable of starting half a dozen rumors before he's even had breakfast—and that's on a bad day." Hawke twitched her nose. "Though perhaps rumor isn't the best word to use here because this one seems to have some basis in fact."

"The best ones always do," Aveline muttered, unfortunately speaking from experience.

"Ah but this one has more truth than most," Hawke said, "or at least, I assume that's the reason why Fenris asked you for advice with his love life."

"You heard that?" Fenris blurted out. From his flushed face, it was clear that he was embarrassed at the situation.

Hawke shrugged her shoulders again. "Well you weren't exactly being quiet," she pointed out.

"Well a certain someone was having issues with hearing me," Fenris muttered. He shot a dirty glare Aveline's way. The guard captain for her part sighed. Fenris was probably going to blame her for this fiasco—though she hardly thought it was her fault—and that would only further strain their friendship.

"To be fair Fenris, the Hanged Man isn't where I would go to hold a confidential conversation," Hawke stated. "But I suppose we'll have to make allowances for you. Clearly you weren't thinking things through and all, what with your asking Aveline for advice. You were there, weren't you, when she did her best to muck things up with Donnic?"

"I wasn't that bad," snapped Aveline.

"No. You were worse. Take it from the one who had to spend an entire evening trying to make small talk with Donnic while you chickened out of seeing him," Hawke replied. "But never fear, Fenris. You have me here. If I could get our dear guard captain together with her man, surely I can do the same for you and your love interest."

Aveline snorted, utterly bemused at the thought of Hawke helping Fenris to woo none other than the mage herself. _This was going to be good_, she thought to herself. Perhaps it wasn't the most charitable thing to think, especially as Hawke had helped her with Donnic and all, but the guard captain chalked that up to the unsavory influence of a pair of rogues she knew.

Besides, with any luck, this thing with Fenris and Hawke would be eclipse her own awkward romance and end the teasing she had been receiving from her other friends as of late.

Fenris had been remarkably silent ever since Hawke had assured him that she would be the one helping him to win over his love. It was odd that he wasn't being more enthusiastic, seeing how she had stopped him from making a terrible mistake, but then again, she supposed Fenris wasn't the sort to like to need the age of mages. Not that she planned to use any magic on his behalf, but she knew very well that the fact she had magic left her tainted in his eyes.

If it wasn't for that, she would have used this as an opportunity to get closer to him and maybe even woo him herself.

But there was nothing she could do about that. She couldn't change how Fenris felt, and the sooner she came to terms with the fact that he loved another, the better.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Long time, no update, right? My apologies for that but RL has been keeping me busy and probably will continue keeping me busy for at least next couple weeks. I'm not sure when the next update will be for either of my current fics, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.


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